Waste collection workers from Agere take centre stage in a new choreographic work by Alisson Orr, Sara Barros Leitão presents a new interpretation of her Monologue of a Woman Called Maria with Her Employer, and the celebration of democracy spreads across the city with the exhibition Somos Todos Capitães – 50 Years in Freedom. These are some of the highlights of the second quarter of Braga 25 Portuguese Capital of Culture.
On 10 June, American choreographer Alisson Orr will direct a participatory performance taking place at the Agere municipal depot. The protagonists are waste collection workers, who step into the spotlight to draw public attention to their essential — and often invisible — work.
The performance marks the beginning of Celebração do Desejar, a festival that seeks to question ideas about who produces and consumes art. Emerging from a project launched in 2024, which involved dozens of Braga residents in regular assemblies, the festival runs from 10 to 14 June.
Another festival debuts in the second quarter of Braga 25. The Architecture and Art Festival Forma da Vizinhança begins on 31 May. Eight architects — including Nuno Melo Sousa, Atelier Local and Galician architect Manuel Bouzas, one of the contributors to Spain’s representation at the Venice Architecture Biennale — have been invited to design temporary architectural installations for various peripheral areas of the city. In neighbourhoods such as Parretas and Fontainhas, these structures will later be activated by artists in a programme running until November.
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution through the lens of contemporary art, Somos Todos Capitães – 50 Years in Freedom opens on 26 April. The exhibition takes place across several venues (Regimento de Cavalaria No. 6, Museu Nogueira da Silva and Forum Braga), presenting significant historical works — both national and international — alongside new creations and documentation charting the country’s major transformations from 1960 to the present.
Theatre takes centre stage in May within the Portuguese Capital of Culture programme. On 2 May, as part of the anniversary celebrations of Theatro Circo, Raquel S. and the company Noitarder present Hei-de reparar., a production inspired by the lives of Portuguese actresses throughout history, premiering as part of the Supracasa creation support programme.
From 6 to 9 May, Braga hosts the first week of performances of Sexual Theatre – Feminist Readings of Classics, a European Union co-funded cooperation project involving partners from Portugal, France, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. The project aims to develop feminist reinterpretations of literary classics from these countries.
At the end of that week, actress, director and playwright Sara Barros Leitão revisits Monologue of a Woman Called Maria with Her Employer. Premiered in 2021 and already presented in over 40 cities, it will be shown for the first time as a staged reading by the author herself. The performance takes place on 9 May as part of the Vozes da Dramaturgia Luso-Brasileira programme.
In a quarter when Braga celebrates two of its strongest traditions — Holy Week (13–20 April) and São João (17–24 June) — the city’s heritage will inspire a range of contemporary projects. As part of the programme Novos Ecos de Uma Paisagem Sonora, at midnight on Holy Saturday, the bell carillon of Braga Cathedral will host a unique performance echoing through the city’s streets.
On 10 May, musician Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe, widely recognised for his work with voice and modular synthesiser, presents the result of an artistic residency on the pipe organ of the Church of São Lázaro. The concert is part of the Pipe Poetics project and integrates the Braga International Organ Festival, taking place from 1 to 18 May across several churches in the city.
Explore the full programme for the second quarter here.
Download the digital programme here.